Papa John’s taps Havas Media as integrated media agency of record | Advertising

Papa John’s said it has tapped Havas Media as its new integrated media agency of record.

The pizza chain says the decision, effective Oct. 1, comes after a competitive review. Papa John’s previous media agency Initiative resigned the client in mid-July as the brand was embroiled in controversy. Havas confirmed the relationship.

This summer, a Forbes article revealed that Papa John’s founder John Schnatter had used the “n-word” during a training call in May with Laundry Service, the chain’s creative agency at the time. In the aftermath, the pizza chain saw a number of its agencies resign the account. Initially, Initiative said it was sticking with Papa John’s, but in mid-July U.S. CEO Amy Armstrong said the media agency was reversing course because “additional information” had come to light. That decision came the same day as Forbes published a widely-shared story titled “The Inside Story of Papa John’s Toxic Culture.” The shop declined to comment on the new agency selection.

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